Security: Spyware, Scareware and now it’s Ransomware

The latest sensation that’s sweeping the nation is something called Ransomware. This is a particularly nasty piece of Malware that infects your system through the usual vectors:

Visiting infected websites

Opening attachments to e-mails

Clicking on links that someone sends you via e-mail

Applications such as Skype

Etc.

Once it’s on your PC – or MAC!! – it will do things like encrypt your hard drive or generally restrict access to sensitive files or, indeed, the entire system until you pay a fee – read ransom – to get a key or code to unlock your files or system. The ransomware will display a fake message warning you of the problem and claiming to be the Police, FBI, etc. Paying the ransom is the last thing that you want to do because:

You’ll be out however many dollars they want for the unlock key

They’ll have your credit card information

There’s no guarantee that there is not another piece of this malware lying underneath that will re-encrypt your hard drive or lock your system in some way once you apply the original unlock key.

There is the distinct possibility that they won’t even send you an unlock key at all because once they have your credit card information, they’ll have everything they need so to heck with you.

There are ways to remove ransomware and SelectRealSecurity.com shows you one way to do it. However, since the bad guys are usually at least one step ahead of the good guys, there’s always the chance that you’ll be hit with a new version of ransomware that necessitates a new approach to removal.

The best approach is not let the stuff get on your machine in the first place. To do that, you need to:

Keep a good, reliable, up-to-date anti-virus application running on your system. There are some freebies out there that offer only anti-virus protection. If you want anti-malware, etc. you will have to pay for the full registered version. This is not the time to be cheap as an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Use a secondary anti-malware application such as MalwareBytes. While there may appear to be a duplication of effort here, there is always the chance that what is missed by one will be caught by the other. You need to be thorough.

Do not open e-mail attachments or links from senders that you do not recognise. In fact, don’t open e-mail messages from people you don’t recognise.

Be suspicious of e-mail links or attachments sent to you by people who you do recognise but who do not usually send you such things. Address books can be hacked.

Avoid questionable websites like the plague. McAfee offers a product that flags questionable or unsafe websites when you do a search. If your security software warns you of a malicious website, don’t go there even if it’s one that you’ve visited before.

Just in case something DOES find its way on to your system, Be Prepared!

Keep all of the installation disks that came with your system or that you subsequently purchased in a safe place that you will actually remember. These things aren’t coasters or toys to let the kids play with.

Keep a list of all of the activation keys for your software products in a safe place that you will actually remember.

If you purchase software and install it via the internet, keep the installation file(s) and activation key(s) in the same safe place as # 1 & # 2.

Keep a list of all of your passwords, etc. in the same safe place as # 1 & # 2.

Find a good, reliable system/file back-up application and actually use it. Once you’ve completed backing up your system/files to a USB drive or whatever, detach the aforementioned device from your system. Do not reconnect it until you need to restore a file or make a new back-up.

That’s enough to get you started. Do not think that simply because you have a MAC rather than a PC that you’re safe. MACs have been shown to be vulnerable to attacks. You may not get what’s currently affecting PCs but you might get something that’s especially designed for MACs.